Unemployed Women's Association for Overcoming Unemployment, an autonomous organization to overcome unemployment as a core identity

The establishment of the Mutual Aid Women's Association for Overcoming Unemployment

The Equal Rights Counseling of Inchon Women Workers Association counseled 400 cases in the year of 1997. Most were regarding unpaid wages and unfair working conditions. The situation worsened entering into 1998. In March of 1998 alone, the center counseled 148 cases.

In order to manage the rapidly-increasing counseling workload, the "Women's Counseling Center for an End to Dismissals through Restructuring and for the Promotion of Employment" was set up. Since then, the counseling clients have increased to such a large extent that all the staff of the office have had to devote their time to the clients.

The unemployment problem is now threatening low-income women of 40 to 50 years old, who have consequently been suffering hardship. In particular the unemployment of women who are the sole breadwinners for their families is now in serious crisis. Compared to those experienced by male family heads, the problems faced by female family heads have not been paid serious attention by our society.

The Korea Women Workers Association United raised the issue of the importance of female family breadwinners, and the Seoul Broadcasting System put their message on air. Accompanied by the slogan "Let's help matriarchs!", a fund-raising scheme has been carried out.

The Korea Women Workers Associations United, the Seoul Broadcasting System, and the Korea Women's Association United have been working for a fund-raising performance with the theme "Helping and giving hope to unemployed matriarchs" as a joint programme on July 3. The funds raised will be used to assist matriarchal families.

A list of the women to be assisted was required. In Inchon, we had about three hundred clients and over sixty percent were family heads. We selected twenty women who were in the most serious situation. The women wrote letters and applications. In the process they had several meetings and more opportunities to meet with each other. In the meetings, we started with a physical exercise in order to relax their tired and tense bodies and conducted group counseling.

In group counseling, we held an open discussion with the theme "When I am most upset", and helped them to share their suffering, to comfort each other, and to look for ways to solve their problems. It was good that they were very open with each other. They talked, cried, laughed, and developed solidarity.

The meeting was very free, warm, and familiar. The experience with them inspired us to form a regular meeting for unemployed female family heads. The meeting was given the theme "alleviating the shock of dismissal and regaining determination". A monthly meeting of matriarchs has been launched.

On June 24, an opening ceremony for the "Action Center for Unemployed Women" was held to mark the beginning of activities for the unemployed. The registered unemployed women exceeded four hundred. Due to the increasing number of clients and their need for recruitment information, there have been demands for an autonomous organization of the unemployed in which they could work out countermeasure activities not merely as beneficiaries but as policy-makers and activists. Therefore we decided to establish the unemployed Women's Association.

On September 12, 1998, the Mutual Aid Women's Association held its opening ceremony. At the opening, about 100 members affiliated to the Association, a secretary general was elected, and an editor was appointed. The Association decided to publish a monthly newsletter, with the title 'Good Neighbors', and to share information through the newsletter.

The newsletter acts as a forum in which to invite other women to join. Afterwards, all the clients were introduced to the Association. Since then all clients have been encouraged to visit the office. On their visit, they can access more precise counseling in terms of the unemployment problems and other difficulties in daily life.

Meetings of the Association and the program of "Meetings to overcome unemployment" attracted 70 to 80 participants on average. On December 12, about 150 women took part in an end of year party. The membership has since increased.

A general assembly of the Unemployed Women's Association

In order to prepare for the general assembly, some active members of the Association were collected and formed a core group. The core group members underwent education and training on the problems of women workers in Korean society, the role of the Action Center for Women's Unemploy-ment, the role of the Mutual Aid Women's Association, etc.

Afterwards the core group became a preparatory committee for the Un-employed Women's Association and the committee worked together for the preparation of the general assembly.It has been too much work for the staff of the office to assist the members of the Unemployed Women's Association which total over four hundred. The participants of the monthly meeting and those who want to join the Mutual Aid Women's Association are always over a hundred, and it was impossible to provide counseling on their visits.

Therefore we decided to divide them in accordance with their residential areas. We appointed 25 regional leaders from those who have been very active in their membership commitments. The 25 leaders report their members' stories in the monthly meetings. They provide a network for members. There were two leadership training sessions.

Finally we held a general assembly on February 6 1999 in which we amended the constitution. The chair woman, vice-chairwoman, auditor, and publications editor were elected by members and the 25 regional leaders introduced themselves. Since the assembly, the monthly meeting of Women's Association is followed by the Unemployed regional leaders' meeting, the monthly meeting of an executive committee, which is composed of the Association leaders, two monthly meetings of the publication members, etc., provide the main structure for our activities.

On International Women's Day on March 8, about 30 member of the Association took part in the program and they contributed thoughts on the problems of unemployed women. In order to help the unemployed women of 40 to 50 years old, who make up, in fact, a large proportion of unemployed women, the executive committee members and regional leaders distributed 400 copies of job-wanted advertisementslast April.

Management of membership fees of the Unemployed Women's Association

At present the membership fee for the Association is W2,000, about US$1.6, and the amount so far collected is W2,234,000, about US$1,787.20. Some of the membership fees have been spent on expenses incurred sending congratulations and condolences.

When members and their family members have weddings, babies, funerals, reach 60 years old, are hospitalized, and so on, the executive committee decides the sum of the allowances. So far 9 members have received W380,000. The Mutual Aid Women's Association has played an assisting role to the members.

The formation of the Unemployed Women's Association

The Association holds monthly meetings in which new membership arrangements are made and recruitment information and counselings are provided. Each month has a useful program for unemployed women. They conducted a medical check in January, a general assembly in February, a community group programme in March, a program on female disease in April, a family picnic in May, and a seminar on unemployment policy in Inchon in June.

Future tasks of the Unemployed Women's Association

The Association now has its own autonomous formation independent of the Women Workers Association. The concrete responsibilities of the executive committee members, the active will of the regional leaders, and the affection of the members, who now regard the Association as their home, make up the biggest and most consolidated base of the Association.

The Association is now responsible for addressing problems of unemployment - overcoming the painful experiences of losing jobs, helping members recover their determination, and consolidating a female support community through active sharing and exchanges between the members.

Furthermore the Association will develop other activities that can also assist members attain self-development when the women workers union is established. The Association will autonomously set up its own future vision and strategy.

EQUAL RIGHTS COUNSELLING

From forcing the retirement of company couples to sexual abuse
- counselling cases by different type -

The subject matters of cases counseled by the Equal Rights Counseling from January to April are summarized in this column. The total number of enrolled counseling cases is 594. The majority of cases - totaling 295 - were related to employment.

211 cases (59.6%) were regarding unpaid wages, 62 cases (17.5%) dismissal, and 22 cases (6.2%) unfair treatment. Aside from these cases, there were 11 cases (3.1%) concerning gender discrimination, 25 cases (7.1%) sexual abuse in workplace, and 23 cases (6.5%) maternity protection and sick pay.

76.4 percent of visitors were married women. In terms of industrial sectors, 36.7% were from the manufacturing sector, 26.5% were official workers, 8.4% were from the sales sector, 16.3% from the service industry, 11.4% experts or technicians, and 0.6% from the administration sector. The percentages indicate that most cases prevailed from the manufacturing sector.

At present "Equal Rights Counseling" has established 8 branches (in Seoul, Puchon, Ansan, Inchon, Kwangju, Masan, North Cholla, and Pusan), with the central headqurters in Seoul Particularly in this year, the departments of the KCTU and the FKTU and Women's Link have jointly set up a counseling center to deal with issues of gender discriminative employment, indirect discrimination, and sexual abuse within the workplace, and the center has actively fulfilled counseling.

1. Cases of prior dismissal of women workers

• Pressurization of voluntarily retire-ment for company couples

  There is a company with 1,400 regular workers and 200 to 300 temporary workers. Due to budget reductions, negotiations were held between the company and workers union in order to set a frame for lay-offs. Workers were scored in every aspect; the number of days-off and vacations, punishments and awards, etc. In the case of company couples, if one of them resigned, the other would achieve a higher score, but if both of them refused to resign, both would get a minus score.

  As a result, 140 were dismissed. Excluding those in higher positions, 70% of the sacked workers were women. At that time, there were 33 couples in the company and most of the women in them were dismissed. 6 women tried to reject the order of retirement but finally had to resign. In the case of company couples, even if women were in higher positions, it was always the women who had to resign.

  A woman worker struggled for the survival of her job. The company gave her minus points in career qualification scores, and she was finally retrenched. Her case has been brought to a local labour committee and she is awaiting the result.

  - Equal Rights Counseling, KWWA -

  
  

  2. The absence of post-marital and maternity protection

• Aggravations of health caused by five weeks' maternity leave, being placed on stand-by, changes of workplace to the outdoors.

  She worked in a local monetary office for 10 years. She was given maternity leave for only 5 weeks and she was put on stand-by when she came back to her work. Then, her new work load entailed visiting open markets in a cold winter. Due to her new work, her health grew worse.

  Her former position had already been filled. In her office, the married women used to resigned after marriage and it was the first time maternity leave had been requested. It is obvious that the company is trying to corner her into accepting resignation.

  - Equal Rights Counseling, Inchon Women Workers Association -

• Forced to retire after notice of marriage

  She was working in a cultural center of a department store. She informed her superiors of her forthcoming marriage. Then, her manager forced her to retire. In another case, a dietitian was replaced by a temporary worker after her honeymoon trip. It is unfair. In fact, most of the customers are married women and this better qualifies married clerks for the job.

  There are more female clerks who will shortly get married, and if she gives up now, her junior colleagues will face the same process. She is daring to bring her case to court.

  - Equal Rights Counseling, Pusan Women's Association -

  
  

  3. Sexual abuse within the workplace

• Sexual abuse in an interview for a private bodyguard

  An interview was held for the position of a private bodyguard. The company wanted bodyguards for the wives of the company seniors. The president of the company interviewed the applicants. The president said that he would call after his observation of individuals.

  He estimated four or five months for his observation. She was called by the president. In the meeting, he made obscene comments and touched her hip. She was treated in a sexually-degrading manner. She left the meeting.

  - Equal Rights Counseling, Seoul Women Workers Association -

• Irresponsible attitude of the public officers on an appeal of sexual abuse in the workplace

  She was working in 'PC' on Sunday night when her senior manager grabbed her breast. She ran out of the place and has not written a resignation letter. She has worked there for only six months and is single. She wants the man to be dismissed. However, this may be impossible as the president of the company is his brother.

  She does not want to work in this company any more. If she cannot bring about his dismissal, she wants to put him to shame. She called up the labor supervisor of the local office of the Ministry of Labor. The supervisor there said that there was no need to fight if she was leaving the company.

  - Equal Rights Counseling, KWWAU-

• Open Forum on the evaluation of the Action Center for Unemployed Women on its anniversary and the proposal of counter-measure policies for unemployed women

  The KWWAU held an open forum on June 25 for the first anniversary of Action Center for Unemployed Women. In the forum the activities of the Action Center for Un-employed Women were evaluated and the countermeasure policies against women's unemployment were proposed.

  The Action Center for Unemployed Women has conducted counseling, education, countermeasure policy implementation, research and study, and provided medical and financial assistance for daily living, organization of unemployed women, vocational training, etc. in eight areas of the country.

  Through the evaluation of one year's activities, various opinions from every sector of society were collected for the proposal to the government. The forum opened with the presentation of Choi Soonim, Chief Manager of counseling in the KWWAU.

  The main participants in the discussions, chaired by Dr. Kim Taehong from the Korean Women's Development Institute, were Nam Insoon, Deputy Secretary General of the Korea Women Workers Association United, Lee Sunghee, an expert on women's policies from the National Congress for New Politics, and Kwon Bokki, Chief Manager of Business

  and Assistance of the Peoples' Foundation to Support Unemployment, shared ideas and opinions on self-development for overcoming female unemployment, future tasks and policy direction of women's organizations concerning the unemployment problem, and governmental policy concerning unemployed women.

  - KWWAU -

  
  
• A plan for an open forum with regard to the "employment situation and the way ahead for unorganized women workers"

  Since the IMF bailout, the situation for employed workers has deteriorated. In work-places which do not have a workers union, the situation is worse. It is assumed that their situation is really very bad considering the fact that the workplaces with no union are mostly small and medium size.

  The KWWAU decided to conduct a study on these kinds of workplaces. The 1,691 cases detailed in the collected questionnaires and 20 inter-views were studied. These cases concerned unorganized women workers. The results will be shared and discussed in the forum.

  - KWWAU -

• The 20th memorial ceremony for the patriot Kim Kyoungsook of YH

  On August 29, the KWWAU will hold a 20th memorial ceremony for the patriot Kim Kyoungsook of YH jointly with the YH Fellowship. Commemorating the struggle of YH, which provided a starting point from which to destroy the Yooshin dictatorship, and admiring the martyrdom of the patriot Kim Kyoungsook, the KWWAU has observed her memorial day every year in Moran Park where her grave is located.

  On this 20th anniversary of her death in particular, we will invite former women workers who were committed to the workers' movement and the workers who are currently active in pro-moting workers' rights.

  - KWWAU -

  
  
• Special night for unemployed women, the project on the establish-ment of 'familyhood' to help unem-ployed families

  Since May last year, the KWWAU has given W150,000 of aid to unemployed families every two months. The project has implemented many structural countermeasures on the unemployment problem and gives real and concrete help to unemployed women workers.

  The KWWAU also held a 'Special Night for Unemployed Women' on May 28 in the House of Working Women in Guro together with unemployed women, those who had participated in training programmes, the volunteer teachers of after-school classes, and female public laborers. There was an Oreum performance and some of the successful case-histories were shared.

  - Seoul Women Workers Association -

  
  
• The third "Preparatory Class to Find Work"

  The Association is now holding preparatory classes to assist in job-finding. It held an opening ceremony for the third class on April 19. There are classes for mending clothes, making clothes, literacy teachers who also help children to vocalize their responses to what they are reading, computer training for secretarial jobs, tele-marketing, etc. We teach four subjects for a period of three months. At the moment we have 130 students.

  - Ansan Women Workers Association -

• Spring Picnics in May for women head of household

  We held a picnic for female household heads and their children in Nakan folk village on May 30. Entering into the "month of home", May, the programme was directed at recovering courage and love and overcoming difficulties faced. About a hundred people participated in the picnic. We toured some historical places followed by a pleasant lunch.

  Then we had community games, writing letters to other family members, and sharing of the gifts of love. With the assistance of the Public Promotion, the participants were given delicious lunches and presents.

  - Kwangjoo Women Workers Association -

  
  
• A campaign to create jobs by the Unemployed Women's Association

  On April 14, the Action Center for Unemployed Women conducted a street campaign on the theme of "unemployed women looking for jobs", together with the members of the Women Workers Association and the Mutual Aid Women's Association.

  After the campaign, a good number of recruitment offers were made. However, most of the contractors were asking for long working hours, low payment, and for women under 35 years old.

  Most of the unemployed women members are in their 40s and 50s, and hence, the campaign did not yield much fruit. We were again strongly impressed by the difficulties faced by middle-aged women to find work.

  - Masan & Changwon Women Workers Association-

  
  
• Skill acquisition and other necessary training for women workers

  From April 6, working women were invited to night classes for telemarketing and training for teachers wishing to conduct classes on newpaper analysis and comprehension of important issues. The telemarketing class was taught for the first time and it received good feedback.

  On May 20, 31 students of telemarketing class held a graduation ceremony. 41 women are currently attending the newspaper comprehension class. The classes will end on July 20.

  - Puchon Women Workers Association -

  
  
• Short-term vocational training for unemployed women

  Vocational training for women family heads was the only governmental program for low-income unemployed female family heads. However, it was held only once due to problems of government budgeting.

  Therefore, the Association has begun to conduct the short term vocational training programme for the middle aged and low income women itself. The proposed training is for assistants capable of caring for patients, baby-sitting, and nursing after childbirth. The first training will be conducted with 25 women from July 1 - 31.

  - Puchon Women Workers Association -

  
  
• Group counselling for women head of household

  In order to provide a venue for unemployed women family heads to comfort each other and to help each other achieve the will to overcome the present situation, group counseling started from April. Three groups of ten women underwent group counselling for four weeks.

  In the first week life stories were shared, the second week focused on identifying good personal qualities, the third week on controlling anger, and the fourth week on planning for the future. All participants changed a lot through the group counseling. They became more optimistic and cheerful, which in turn cheered up the staff.

  - Inchon Women Workers Association -

  
  
• Job training program

  In March and April two classes were provided for unemployed women household heads. After deep consideration on the situation of unemployed women, the classes were conducted to introduce the principles of managing small businesses and training was given at a basic level and in accessible language.

  During the programme the partici-pants could share their information and promised they would contact each other if they came across job openings.

  -North Cholla Women Workers Association -

  
  
• The sixth street campaign for unemployed women

  The Association holds a street campaign every third Saturday. We have had six campaigns so far. About 50 unemployed women participate in the campaigns. Usually songs are sung with changed words, a performance is put on, three minutes speeches are given, etc.

  It normally lasts one-and-a-half hours. Evaluating the six street campaigns, we have reflected that we should be more sensitive about the problem of women unemployment. On the first anniversary of the Action Center for Unemployed Women, the Association reflected on how much the demands of women workers have been realized.

  We came to the conclusion that we should pay more attention to the demands of unemployed women and should provide more concrete and practical countermeasure activities for them.

  - Pusan Women's Association -

  
  
• The struggle for reinstatement in Pusan Country Club

  Last May, 21 caddies working for the Pusan Country Club were dismissed. The club dismissed many women citing reasons of old age and marital status. On May 16, the Women Workers Trade Union (currently being established) and the Pusan Women's Workers Association launched a protest rally in front of the Pusan Country Club together with the dismissed caddies demanding reinstatement and condemning sexual abuse within the workplace.

  Directly after the rally, the situation was evaluated and a solidarity struggle was determined upon.

  - Pusan Women's Workers Association -

  
  
• The fourth Women's Week ceremony - a campaign for the prohibition of sexual abuse within the workplace

  The KWWAU will conduct a "campaign for the prohibition of sexual abuse within the workplace" in eight areas across the country as a project of the fourth Women's Week from July 1 to July 7. The campaign events will be held twice in every area.

  The campaign will help women to recognize sexual abuse and take proper countermeasure actions. The campaign will also emphasize the responsibility of employers. We will spread awareness of the sexual abuse en masse.

  Particularly in small workplaces and work-places with large concentrations of women such as restaurants and boarding houses, it has almost been impossible to conduct education programmes related to this issue. Therefore we are hoping to increase awareness through street promotions.

  - KWWAU -